The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-09-24
THE VALUE OF A NAME.
Large Fee Paid to Capt. Eads for
Professional Opinion.
From the Engineering News

From the Engineering NeWS.I
The promoters Of the Manchester Ship Ca
nal are said to have already expended ST.
10000 in furthering their scheme, and the
first sod has yet to be turned. AS the total
estimated cost is SIS. S5o,OOO, this represents
very handsome percentage Of the amount
to be expended in simply getting ready"
The usual addition of 10 per cent. "f0r con-
tingencies" would be far out in this case. In
this preliminary expense sheet there Is said
to be fee Of $4,000 paid the late James b.
Eads for a professional opinion. If this is
correct, and there seems little reason to doubt
it. this is probably the largest professional
single fee ever paid to an American engineer
And with all due credit to Mr.. Eads, it shows
the value of a wide reputation as man Of
sound natural judgment and experience in
great undertakings as compared with that OF
the more modest engineer proper who has
only extensive but purely professional expe-
rience to recommend him.
The professional position Of Mr.. Eads, as
an engineer, is rather difficult to define. He
was purely a self made man and entirely
without what is recognized as a technical
education as an engineer, and yet he pos
sessed in high degree and made excellent
use of that inherent something without
which the best trained engineer in the world
will not succeed. He instinctively under
stood both the management of men and mat
ter, and without the knowledge necessary to
figure a strain sheet, not only was he the ex-
ecutive engineer in building what was in its
day the bridge Of boldest span, but he also so
impressed others who were not engineers
with his ability to carry out his projects and
with his sound Judgment In advancing plans
that they furnished him with all the money
required. His skill in managing affairs was
well exemplihed IN this case, where the actu-
al cost of this then novel feat OF engineering
was about 81, 900 on an original estimate
of less than S5,000,0OO. His great work In
opening the mouth of the Mississippi to nav
igation was also the result Of the possession
of other accomplishments than that Of pure
engineering knowledge alone. He doubtless
had an advantage over engineers generally in
having made almost life study OF the
river he proposed to improve, and he had be-
come familiar with its vagaries and power
by long service in that best Of all schools
the school of experience. But when he had
convinced himself that he could accomplish
the task before him, he had all the courage
Of his convictions, and risked his own for
tune. and persuaded others to risk theirs, in
battling professional, personal and political
prejudice, and only won by finally offering to
do all he promised or no pay. When IL came
W Tie WOIk Tic tuSlutcTlnB was Icdily Slll-
pie, and what there was of it was carried out
by other hands. His supreme executive abil-
ity and confidence in himself and not his en-
cheering skill or reputation, was what won
the battle.
And it was the boldness Of his projects and
the marked success with which he found men
and means TO carry them out that made his
name famous on both sides of the Atlantic
and made an expression of his judgment valu-
able TO the promoters of the Manchester
Canal But after all it was the name they
paid for purely professional advice, in more
elaborate detail, could have been purchased
| for a fraction Of the sum mentioned, and
| they doubtless had such already in abun-
| dance. They wanted to have their views
| backed up by a name that would impress the
public and establish public confidence in the
| enterprise, and encourage the public to in
vest that money without which the scheme
| could not succeed. 1t Is an everyday meth
cd in England, and is the usual way in which
the dukes and other titled personayes there
| are made generally useful. And 1t is after
| is an honest one, as this one was, and Mr..
| Eads undoubtedly gave the same opinion he
| would have expressed in his own country
| for a much smaller fee. The only difference
| was that that opinion was more valuable in
| England than in America. The investing
| class of Englishmen are accustomed to the
worship Of name or title, even to the extent
| of risking their fortunes in any project that
| has a sufficient number of cor0nets on its
/ board; while the more cautious American
/ investor is apt to examine the matter for
| himself and gamble upon his own judgment
in such matters, rather than upon the opin-
| ion of some one else, no matter how high thu
personal or professional standing of the 9th
er party may be.